Entries in full-size clay models
(1)

Over the past five years, Ford Motor Company has recycled over nine tons of modeling clay, with 5,070 lb. recycled last year alone. That five-year total is enough to build a dozen full-size clay model car exteriors, while last year’s total would be enough to do almost three full-size clays of the Raptor.

Modeling clay, which isn’t clay at all, is made up of waxes and oil with filler, and does not contain water like traditional ceramic clay. Until the early 2000s, it also contained sulfur, though that escaped from the mix when heated to a temperature that made the clay malleable. When it did, it wreaked havoc on electronics, causing numerous malfunctions in milling and other machines. And, until whale hunting was banned, it also used to contain whale blubber.

Most of the recovered clay comes when milling machines follow math data to create the vehicle’s silhouette. These chips are collected in blue bins that surround the model and recycled. Because impurities can have a massive effect on the finish of the model, only the chips collected in the blue bins are reused. All the rest (Ford uses about 90 tons of modeling clay each year) is discarded.

The clay recycling machine uses multiple blades to compress and churn the clay chips. This removes any air pockets that might be trapped within the material. It is then pushed through a heated nozzle that returns the clay to a malleable consistency, and columns are extruded and stacked for reuse. — CAS